Friday July 13, 2018

We can’t think of a better way to spend our summers than playing at the park all day, every day... and we have FIVE here at Mountain House! If you have active kiddos that love to be outdoors, or if you want your kids to have some good “old-fashioned fun” away from their iPads, check out this list of games you can play at your next park playdate. 😀

Scavenger Hunts

Who doesn’t love a good scavenger hunt?! All of our parks have play structures for kids to climb, crawl, slide, and swing, making great hiding spots for clues and more! Here’s a fun list of hunts to try:

Altamont and Questa Parks have a lot of open green space for running, chasing, and, yes...BOWLING! Bring out your crafty side and whip together seven “water bottle” bowling pins for your kiddos by filling them up with water or sand. Bring a medium-sized ball (a full-sized soccer ball or basketball might be too big) and pick the perfect spot to play your game. Play for points, or just play for fun! 🎳

Hide the Button

Central Park is our largest park, which means even more places to hide an object in a secret spot for your little treasure hunters to find! This simple game can create hours of fun with your little ones. Simply hide a button, or whatever object you choose (we suggest something the size of a Hot Wheel), and have your kids search for it. Help them out by saying “warmer” when they are close, or “colder” when they get further away. You can even give out little prizes to the hunter who finds the object first! 🔎

Freeze Tag

Can we all agree that tag is one of the best outdoor games EVER? All of our parks are perfect for an afternoon of chasing, freezing, and crawling! When tagged, the players become frozen in place until another person crawls through their legs. The game ends when EVERYONE is frozen!

Fun Basketball Games

If you have a group of kids who need an activity for the day, give a few of these fun basketball games a try at Central Park or Questa Park:

🏀 Musical Basketballs

Place the basketballs in a circle on the court. Play some music and have the kids walk around the balls. When the music stops, each player must grab a ball and shoot it into the hoop, then sit down. The last player standing is out!

🏀 Dribble Limbo

Here’s a fun a spin on the classic game of Limbo! Designate two players as the pole holders, and the rest stand in a single file line with their basketballs. Each player must dribble while going underneath the pole. The player who is able to dribble and go the lowest wins!

🏀 Buzzer Beater

How many baskets can YOU make before the buzzer buzzes? Have the kids line up at the three-point line with their basketballs. Set a timer for 10 seconds. The player who can make the most baskets within those 10 seconds is the champion!

For more cool basketball games to do with your kids, check out this article by ActiveKids.com.

Horseshoes!

Teach the kids how to play Horseshoes at Wicklund Park! There’s already a built-in pit waiting to be played, but, if you want to spice things up, you can get your own horseshoes and give them a little pep for summer. Check out this cool pastel design by Design Love Fest.

Red Light, Green Light (Baseball Edition!)

Have some little ones starting T-ball, or beginning softball/baseball players? This game will teach them how to run with a glove and a ball in their hand! A parent stands about 60 or 90 feet down the field and faces away from the kids. The parent yells “green light!” and the kids must run towards the parent while keeping a grip on their ball. If the parent yells “red light!” and turns around to see players still moving, those players are out. You can play this game on the baseball diamonds at any of our parks! ⚾